keeping it Peel 24/7

After the dissolution in 1972 of Les Bantous De La Capitale, the band which he founded in 1959, Celestin Kouka wasted little time in forming a new project in Brazzaville. Under his direction, some musicians from Les Bantous joined with others to create Orchestre Le Peuple (Orchestra of the People). Named separately, the vocal trio Ce.Pa.Kos were soon born, their name derived from the three singers; Celestin himself, Pamelo Mounk'a and Kosmos Moutouari. The music on this ’77 offering is danceable, but is exceedingly chilled, with sebenes that would lend themselves well to siesta, if such a demand there be. Strangely, the best tracks are all the longest ones – they seem to come off best when they’ve plenty of time to work up the lazy swirl into a half-tornado. “Malata”, at almost nine minutes long, is the best of the lot, with a final four minutes which are particularly wonderful. I’m not sure what it’s about, but I hear a mention for both Kinshasa and Brazza, capitals of the D.R. Congo and Congo-Brazzaville respectively. Clearly, they’re keeping their sales options open in both territories. Clever chaps.